OCEN Announces Inaugural Hartshorn Dignity of Life Award Recipients
COLUMBUS– The Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN), a ministry of Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), announced today that five of its member schools are the inaugural recipients of the Mike and Peggy Hartshorn Dignity of Life Award. The Hartshorn Award was established in 2025 to recognize K-12 schools that have intentionally incorporated pro-life teaching into their instructional programs. The award honors Mike and Peggy Hartshorn, who have been tireless leaders in the pro-life movement for decades in Ohio and across the nation.
"The Vital Signs Report, commissioned by CCV after the passage of Issue 1 amended the right to abortion into the Ohio Constitution, revealed that 55 percent of Catholic school graduates and 31 percent of Evangelical school graduates voted in favor of the abortion amendment," said OCEN Executive Director Troy McIntosh. "We cannot assume that young people growing up in a Christian community will form a pro-life ethic on their own. It is incumbent on Christian schools to teach their students why a respect for the dignity of life is a vital component of a Christian worldview. This year's award winners have taken the lead in doing exactly that."
This year's award winners:
Silver Level and 2025 School of the Year
Calvary Christian School (Bellefontaine)
Attended the 2024 Ohio March for Life in Columbus.
Dedicated a chapel service to the theme of a biblical pro-life position.
Participated in a student-led service day at a local pregnancy center.
Partnered with the pregnancy center to hold a gala benefitting the center.
Middle school students served at a local pregnancy center sorting cloth diapers and other items that the center provides to clients, as well as landscaping the property.
Bronze Level
Heritage Christian School (Canton)
Grove City Christian School (Grove City)
Cincinnati Christian School (Cincinnati)
Ross County Christian School (Chillicothe)
Each school will receive a plaque at CCV's Essential Summit this fall and a seal signifying their award. As the 2025 School of the Year, Calvary Christian School will receive a $1,000 cash award to support future pro-life initiatives.
"Mike and Peggy Hartshorn have shown the impact you can have when you stand up for the vulnerable," said CCV President Aaron Baer. "Carrying on their life-saving legacy is the responsibility of the next generation. These schools and their students are showing that the future of the pro-life movement is bright."
The Hartshorn Dignity of Life Awards will be announced annually in the spring. For more information, contact the OCEN at ocen@ccv.org.
